Thomas Gibson speaks out following his firing from ‘Criminal Minds’

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 13 (UPI) — Actor Thomas Gibson has released a statement addressing his surprise firing from the television series Criminal Minds.

“I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last 12 years,” TVGuide.com reported Gibson said in a statement. “I had hoped to see it through to the end, but that won’t be possible now. I would just like to say thank you to the writers, producers, actors, our amazing crew, and, most importantly, the best fans that a show could ever hope to have.”

Deadline said Gibson was terminated after he allegedly assaulted one of the show’s writer-producers two weeks ago, an incident that only became public in the past few days. He was initially suspended, but his bosses announced Friday he had been let go.

Gibson was also engaged in a similar dustup with an assistant director several years ago.

Gibson, 54, played Special Agent Aaron Hotchner since the show’s inception. Before that, he was best known for his work on the popular sitcom Dharma Greg and medical drama Chicago Hope.